George Ferguson Column: Here's my own Frontier Preseason Poll

By this time next week, the 2017 Frontier Conference Preseason Football Coaches Poll will be out, as the league gathers together for its annual Media Day in Great Falls.

And coming out of an unusual, but incredible 2016, it will be interesting to see what the league's coaches think heading into 2017.

But before we get to that, it's time once again to see what I think of the season ahead. Below, I will lay out my own preseason poll, and while my picks may not be popular with some, and may end up being way off by the time we hit November, remember, it's just predictions. It's always guess work. The real work is done on the football field, and no matter where a team is picked in a poll, that team has a chance to do something about it on the football field.

So here it goes, here's my 2017 Frontier Conference Preseason Poll.

1. Montana Tech

Picking a team to win the league was actually pretty tough this year. Everybody lost something important from their respective squads last season, and Montana Tech wasn't immune to it. Losing stars on a stingy defense, and the best running back in the NAIA in Nolan Saraceni certainly leaves question marks in Butte.

However, head coach Chuck Morrell still has talent, including senior quarterback Quinn McQueary and WR Dion Harris. He still has seven returning starters on defense and a beefy offensive line. And he has what everyone craves in the Frontier - depth. There's no question that over the last three to four years, Morrell has assembled the top recruiting classes in the Frontier, and even with so many good players graduated off last year's Frontier championship squad, the Orediggers will have new faces emerge on that depth chart, and I just don't see how they can't finish at the top of the heap and make the NAIA playoffs for a third straight year.

2. Southern Oregon

It will be an emotional season all the way around for the Raiders. Legendary head coach Craig Howard, who led them to the 2014 NAIA national championship passed away earlier this year, which certainly leaves the team, and new head coach Charlie Hall with big shoes to fill. Howard truly resurrected the program at SOU and quickly turned it into one of the elites in all of the NAIA.

SOU will also be emotional and fired up, not just playing for Howard, but also playing with a chip on its shoulder after the Raiders stumbled to a 5-6 record in an inury-riddled 2016 campaign.

Now however, there's no reason why the Raiders can't be right back to contending for the Frontier title. They return explosive quarterback Tanner Trosin, who took them to the 2015 title game, before missing last season with an injury. They have a stable of talented wide receivers and running backs in what is always one of the most dangerous offenses in the NAIA, and, the Raiders return a bevy of senior starters on a defense that has been much improved in recent years.

So, while the Raiders will play this fall with a heavy heart, they will also undoubtedly be one of the most experienced and talented teams in the Frontier, and they should be right back in the NAIA playoffs because of it.

3. Carroll College

It's been an unusual last few years for the Fighting Saints. After a run of NAIA and Frontier dominance that lasted for a decade, the Saints are coming off back-to-back losing seasons. In those two tough seasons, the Saints have struggled to find consistency in their running game, usually their bread and butter, as well as a healthy quarterback. But going into this fall, head coach Mike Van Diest knows who his QB will be, and he's a talented dual-threat guy. Carroll also has the deepest collection of wide receivers in the league, as well as a top-notch front seven on defense, and that alone should throw the Saints back into the top half of the conference, if not title contention.

4. UM-Western

The Bulldogs have been a team on the rise on the Frontier for seemingly ever now, but they just haven't gotten over the hump. They finished third a season ago, but fell out of league title contention by mid-October. Still, head coach Ryan Nourse' team has an outstanding running game, and Western has built an outstanding defense. The Bulldogs have also recruited Montana extremely well, and that depth will continue to pay off, making Western a team to be reckoned with again this season.

5. Eastern Oregon

The Mounties had a dream season a year ago. Veteran head coach Tim Camp's squad went 8-2 in the Frontier, its highest finish ever, and, made it all the way to the NAIA semifinals. It was easily the most successful season in EOU history. But, a repeat performance will be hard to come by considering all that EOU graduated - like QB Zach Bartlow, running back Alfred Gross and some of the best linebackers the school has ever produced. On the flip side, EOU always produces an explosive offense, and if all of its new starters gel quickly, the Mounties could end up much higher come season's end.

6. Rocky Mountain College

The Battlin' Bears are still in somewhat of a rebuilding mode under second-year head coach Jason Petrino. They struggled at times last year and had to deal with significant injuries. Now, they must find a new starting QB, and many other positions on the depth chart will also be up for grabs. The Bears will likely also be young, and while they'll no doubt be competitive again this season, they still are probably a couple years away from moving into the top half of the Frontier.

T7. MSU-Northern

The Lights are also still in rebuilding mode under third-year head coach Aaron Christensen. They've won just one game in the last two seasons, and the going has certainly been tough. However, Northern showed some grit in beating Carroll last season and playing some of the top teams in the league very tough. That team also had some of the best players in Northern history, like Zach McKinley and Tyler Craig leading the way. Now, Northern enters a new season as a much younger team, and while Northern has plenty of talent and is starting to build some quality depth, it will still be an uphill climb this fall.

T7. College of Idaho

The last couple of years, the Yotes have been a sexy pick to finish in the top half of the Frontier. And, at times, they've looked every bit the part of a top Frontier team. However, as with any program building from the ground up, they've also not looked like that at other times. And while C of I has a deep recruiting pool in Idaho and Washington, and veteran head coach Mike Moroski runs a unique offense that's hard to stop, the Yotes probably won't be ready to ascend to the top half of the league this season. Of course, it will come one day, but it probably won't be this fall.

So there you have it, the George Ferguson Havre Daily News Preseason Frontier Football Poll. It will be fun to see where I stack up with the coaches poll next week, and, with how fun the Frontier is, it will be exciting to see how this all unfolds over the next four months.

And while I may be off, and in some cases way off with my preseason predictions, I'm going to enjoy watching this coming Frontier season. And I'm excited about the fact that it's almost here.